Sunday May 3 Day 5
Day 5 Part 1
Good morning Kyoto! I literally shout it from the window and our neighbor echoes back. This is going to be a good day once I get some breakfast. My stomach has been growling since just before dinner last night. Today’s itinerary is the busiest of the trip. We meet with our guide out front of the hotel just before 8 am. One of my favorite parts of this trip is that we are taking public transit; you really get the “lay of the land” this way. When you mingle with the commoners it gives a glimpse into what life is like in a city. Thankfully we have a guide that knows the route and the native tongue, so we get a taste of the town without the stress of having to navigate.
Our first stop of the day, Kiyomizu-dera Temple and to get to it we must climb the mountain. Well not really, the Japanese have thought of everything and there are streets comprised of shops leading most of the way. Now that’s how to motivate a girl. Impressed, I skip past, making note of a few places to stop in on my way back down.
This place is like a fortune themed amusement park equipped with a Magic Mountain, games, and a fountain of wish water for drinking. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t get any better than this.
I try my hand and heart at a game of luck, or love, or both. The object is to successfully walk from one rock to the other, which is 18 meters away. With your eyes closed. Without bumping into anyone. Or else what? If I did make it across I would find true love (or at least that’s how I interpreted the English translation). It didn’t mention what would happen if I didn’t make it though.
I made it across! Albeit with a little unsolicited help from the sidelines. I thought those do-gooders had jinxed me forever, but thanks to my faithful friend Wikipedia, I now know different. If someone guides you than there will be a “middle-man” (or woman) that assists in the process. Hey, I’m not fussy, I’m just hoping this true love will come in something other than dog form, middle-person or not.
On the way back down Magic Mountain I pick up a Kimono clad Hello Kitty stuffed toy for my niece and look for a Gundam Wing Toy for a friend. I make it back to the meet spot on time and we are off to the next destination, Nijo Castle.
This is a far cry from the bright lights, big city vibe of Tokyo and more in line with what I was hoping to see in Japan. The structures are so elaborate and well designed. This castle even comes fully loaded with a “nightingale floor” that sings when stepped on. Maybe sings is not the word, since it’s more like a creek. Whatever the sound, it’s effective and was devised to give warning of intruders.
Time for lunch. I finally get to add Ramen to my authentic Japanese meal schedule. The ladies and I pick a happening joint to indulge. It’s delicious, no surprise there, not for Bestie and I anyway. Roomie has a bit of a different experience. I need to add here that she is a vegetarian because that becomes important now. After the meal we are told that though the ingredients in the bowl might not be meat products, the broth is pork based, and that goes for all authentic Ramen folks. Needless to say Roomie was not impressed.
The last stop of our day is a mad house, crowds of people packed tightly along this narrow path leading around a pond. Everyone is moving at a very slow pace, so it takes a few minutes to get far enough in to see what the crowd draw is. Kinkaku-ji, another temple, but a golden one. The trail gives us a 360 degree view of it, and an opportunity to take some great photos. Even the monks can’t resist.
I don’t know how it’s possible but I’ve wandered off on my own again, and am the last to join our group on the other side of the temple. We are now on a sprint to Kyoto station to catch a bullet train back to Tokyo at 4:56 pm. It is not the first time I am told that the trains are so punctual you can set your watch by them, and it is no joke.
I grab a nap again on the train, and once back in Tokyo Bestie and I go impromptu shoe shopping in Shibuya before heading back to the hotel. We execute the same plan as before; to sleep until midnight, get up, get ready, and stay out until dawn. The nightclub Womb is hosting UK DJ Mark Knight and I intend to be there. With alarm set for eleven we lay down for some shuteye.
Talk Nerdy To Me: 